Curiouser and curiouser. For the second time in about two years, I find myself muttering Alice’s famous exclamation in the book, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll (real names- Charles Lutwidge Dodgson). And I have developments in the race for Nigeria’s presidency in 2011, and the place of incumbent, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan in it, to thank for this resort to “Literary Nonsense.”
Frankly, I thought I had said my bit on the subject and can now move on to other issues. This is because, having written at least three times trying to show why I think, the “lucky” man of Nigerian politics should not try his “luck” this time, my job was done. As I have learnt over the years, the place of the journalist/commentator is to have his say without necessarily having his way.
But how can one fail to wonder aloud about the melodrama we are being treated to? Every day that dawns you get to read one statement or the other from one group or another calling on the President to run, or endorsing his as yet undeclared candidacy. Some women say they won’t have sex with their husbands, and have enjoined others not to, unless GEJ runs. Members of a so-called civil society group say they’ll go on hunger strike by a certain date, if he denies Nigeria his “good luck charm.” It’s a sickening reminder of the days of million-man marches; youths earnestly asking for Abacha, and the then political parties, dubbed five fingers of a leprous hand by the late Bola Ige, warming up to adopt the then maximum ruler as their presidential candidate.
Of the various statements, one of the least ridiculous, yet “curiouser and curiouser-inducing” is that by Jonathan’s National Assembly liaison men, Senator Muhammed Abba-Aji and Dr Cairo Ojuigo. Speaking at the launch of yet another Jonathan-must-run special purpose vehicle, they assured Nigerians that their principal will run; that he will announce his intention to do so soon after completing his on-going fast in solidarity with his Muslim compatriots, and that he will, if elected, stay in office for only one term of four years.
While I really do not want to go into any further discussion of the merits or demerits of the president’s decision to run or not to run, it is pertinent, to my take today, to note the seeming desperation setting in, in these matters. What are we supposed to make of the president’s Ramadan solidarity fast – piety or politics? Why does he want only one term in office? To complete the Yar’Adua/Jonathan ticket which belongs to the North? What does that mean for the game of roulette, sorry, rotation within his Peoples Democratic Party? Will “power” return to the South in 2015? Or would having an Ijaw man head more than half of the North’s eight-year turn mean that the South has had its turn and “power” should therefore return to the North? Where is the Igbo interest in all of this?
All of this brings me to the theme of today’s piece, which is once again about the Church; but this time specifically about the place of its leaders in the affairs of the nation. It was triggered by a report “Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State has declared the Church in Nigeria a failure in its duty of checking the excesses of the country’s political class. He handed down this damning verdict in a lecture on ‘The Role of the Church in National Development,’ on Saturday (August 14) marking the 34th anniversary of the Egba Diocese of the Anglican Church.
“Obi, a devout Catholic, told the audience in Abeokuta, Ogun state, that instead of reprimanding, and publicly shunning well-known corrupt politicians and businessmen, some church leaders offer them front seats in their churches. He was of the opinion that unless the church changes its attitude in this critical area, it would be impossible for the nation to achieve her collective goals.
“He stated that the church has a greater role to play to correct the ills of the country, because church leaders have effective platforms in their pulpits from which they can criticise the ills plaguing the country. It behoves the church, which has moral authority, he said ‘to question the source of sudden wealth of individuals. But, unfortunately, the church is becoming part of the problem.’
“Differing from the general opinion that corruption was the nation’s major problem, he said greed was the problem, because that is what gives birth to corrupt practices. He wondered why church leaders are not just keeping quiet about, but are also honouring, corrupt persons including politicians they are aware have several houses abroad, which they cannot justify from their legitimate income. In Nigeria today, he said, ‘people who have no means of livelihood but are stupendously rich are respected, honoured and entertained by the church.’
“Recalling his experience during his three-year legal battle to regain his governorship mandate, which was denied him through vote rigging, Obi said all the church leaders he approached counselled him to accept the robbery as an act of God. That’s how God wanted it, he was told. But, according to him, when against their advice, he pursued his rights and won, the same church leaders turned around to say, ‘we have been praying for you since.’
“Turning attention to the approaching elections, the governor, now in his second four-year term said: ‘Elections are coming and politicians are busy planning how to rig and manipulate the polls. And after they have rigged their way into office, the church will not only keep quiet about it, it will allow such politicians to come for thanksgiving. Not only that, the church leaders will pray for such politicians for God to bless and protect them…this has to change.’”
Now, save for Primate Elijah Ayodele, whose prophesy was quoted here last time, it is not clear where church leaders stand on the on-going “Jonathan, Run or we Die” charade. While I admit that it is possible that some may have offered private counsel to the President, it is more in character that the reluctance or unwillingness to speak truth to power, is once again at play. Like Governor Obi said above, the Church must never again fail to speak the truth and stand courageously by it.
In concluding, I appropriate these words of General Obasanjo to Mrs Margaret Thatcher, many years ago: “dear church leaders, if you fail to speak up now…Dr Jonathan, if you waste this defining moment...and Nigeria comes to any grief, “my heart would be broken, but my hands would be clean.”
Sunday, 29 August 2010
Sunday, 22 August 2010
MR PRESIDENT, WHAT IF THIS PROPHET IS NOT LYING?
I am normally sceptical of seers, particularly when they make a habit of producing booklets and writing letters to persons they have prophesised negatively about asking for audience. That sums up my attitude to Primate Elijah Babatude Ayodele of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Lagos, over the years. But when that seer consistently gets it right on several very public issues from year to year, even the most sceptical of us have to stand up and listen.
A random recall of some of his prophecies would include his prediction of a Bellview Airline crash of October 2005 and of Sosoliso Airline crash of December 2005, both of which he forsaw and foretold. He told Nigerians in December 2007 that Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, then Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) would be removed in the New Year. He was.
More recently, he alerted this football loving nation that the senior National team, the Super Eagles perform woefully at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. They proved him right.
With this antecedent, I find it irresistible to take a close look at what he had to say about the political situation in Nigeria and in particular the place of President Goodluck Jonathan in it. I shall paraphrase the relevant parts of his recent comments to two Lagos-based newspapers.
His words: “I have told you and I repeat it that this democracy will break this country. Apart from democracy breaking this country, the issue of zoning will bring no good to the country. The solution is that Jonathan must not contest the election if you want peace. He should honour the gentleman agreement in the PDP (Peoples Democratic Party) so that the country can move forward. If Jonathan contests, he will win by force but it will cause a lot of problems for the country, and this country may break up as a result of it. …People may see this as a bad prediction, but for those that have ears let them listen to the warning of God. People may criticize it but it is a warning from God. For those that God loves, He reveals himself. People are pushing Jonathan to run for presidency in 2011 but he should not listen to them. …. I know President Jonathan may not like what I’m saying, but he should not listen to sycophants… If Jonathan wants this country to be one indivisible entity, he should not contest next year’s presidential election. I am not against Jonathan, but that is what God says. We are saying it the way God revealed it to us. This is not a matter of calculation; it is what God said.”
Now, I am not a prophet and do not pretend to be one, but I had advised Goodluck Jonathan against running for office in 2011 in three different pieces published here in April and May. I gave a number of reasons for my position, some of which I hereby recall here.
“I have said, and I know that most Nigerians agree, that one of Nigeria’s most critical challenges is the conduct free, fair and credible elections. This, we situate in the total lack of neutrality of those who have the constitutional duty of supervising this all-important pillar of democracy. Not even the military had succeeded in exorcising the lie of the demon that’s been sold to us over time – that every government must be interested in its successor, euphemism for imposition of its successors. It is a position rooted in the tendency of office holder to do things that they would need a friendly successor to cover up. It stands to reason, doesn’t it, that to solve this critical problem , Nigeria needs an interim leader, disinterested in succeeding himself , who not do anything that he would need covered up after his tenure; and who is courageous enough to resist pressures from family, friends, ethnic group, political party and sundry other interest groups to lend his official weight to their cause.
Now, let’s face it; such a person would be hard to find. But that is precisely the kind of person that Dr Jonathan has to be in the very short time it has pleased God to put him in office. I have no doubt in my mind that unless he yields to God, to be that man, he’s likely to be outside the will of God. That’s a big assertion that, but it is the hard cold truth….
“Today, Jonathan is President of the Federal Republic by virtue of an arrangement that zones the top post to the north of Nigeria for two terms totalling eight years. The North should therefore have another term. I do not subscribe to the arrangement and so, were I in government, it won’t be binding on me. And indeed, if I have my way, it should never have been put in place at all. But it is in place in spite of ex-President Obasanjo’s latter day less-than-honest assertion to the contrary. And Jonathan subscribed to it. He came to office by it, and he is not on record, to my knowledge, as having ever disagreed with the arrangement. So, he is bound by it. He is a Christian and the Bible says that true Christians swear to their own hurt and do not renege! (See Psalm 15:4). .
Flowing from this, and most important of all, is this truth: there are simply no righteous ways by which Dr Jonathan can pick up his party’s ticket to run in 2011! To run, he has to play “realpolitik”, which is politics devoid of moral and ethical considerations; politics without conscience. He has to pull down the party structure, hound his opponents, tear the rule books and generally be ruthless. Recent events are already pointing in this direction… “
Since those words were written, Vincent Ogbulafor has been removed as Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party; Okwesilieze Nwodo has stepped in and his hurry to bury the party’s zoning formula has left nobody in doubt he was playing out a script; the party is in disarray in spite of all pretences to the contrary; the order of elections reportedly was negotiated to neutralise certain forces etc.
Now, Mr President, even if I am wrong; what if the prophet is right?
A random recall of some of his prophecies would include his prediction of a Bellview Airline crash of October 2005 and of Sosoliso Airline crash of December 2005, both of which he forsaw and foretold. He told Nigerians in December 2007 that Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, then Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) would be removed in the New Year. He was.
More recently, he alerted this football loving nation that the senior National team, the Super Eagles perform woefully at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. They proved him right.
With this antecedent, I find it irresistible to take a close look at what he had to say about the political situation in Nigeria and in particular the place of President Goodluck Jonathan in it. I shall paraphrase the relevant parts of his recent comments to two Lagos-based newspapers.
His words: “I have told you and I repeat it that this democracy will break this country. Apart from democracy breaking this country, the issue of zoning will bring no good to the country. The solution is that Jonathan must not contest the election if you want peace. He should honour the gentleman agreement in the PDP (Peoples Democratic Party) so that the country can move forward. If Jonathan contests, he will win by force but it will cause a lot of problems for the country, and this country may break up as a result of it. …People may see this as a bad prediction, but for those that have ears let them listen to the warning of God. People may criticize it but it is a warning from God. For those that God loves, He reveals himself. People are pushing Jonathan to run for presidency in 2011 but he should not listen to them. …. I know President Jonathan may not like what I’m saying, but he should not listen to sycophants… If Jonathan wants this country to be one indivisible entity, he should not contest next year’s presidential election. I am not against Jonathan, but that is what God says. We are saying it the way God revealed it to us. This is not a matter of calculation; it is what God said.”
Now, I am not a prophet and do not pretend to be one, but I had advised Goodluck Jonathan against running for office in 2011 in three different pieces published here in April and May. I gave a number of reasons for my position, some of which I hereby recall here.
“I have said, and I know that most Nigerians agree, that one of Nigeria’s most critical challenges is the conduct free, fair and credible elections. This, we situate in the total lack of neutrality of those who have the constitutional duty of supervising this all-important pillar of democracy. Not even the military had succeeded in exorcising the lie of the demon that’s been sold to us over time – that every government must be interested in its successor, euphemism for imposition of its successors. It is a position rooted in the tendency of office holder to do things that they would need a friendly successor to cover up. It stands to reason, doesn’t it, that to solve this critical problem , Nigeria needs an interim leader, disinterested in succeeding himself , who not do anything that he would need covered up after his tenure; and who is courageous enough to resist pressures from family, friends, ethnic group, political party and sundry other interest groups to lend his official weight to their cause.
Now, let’s face it; such a person would be hard to find. But that is precisely the kind of person that Dr Jonathan has to be in the very short time it has pleased God to put him in office. I have no doubt in my mind that unless he yields to God, to be that man, he’s likely to be outside the will of God. That’s a big assertion that, but it is the hard cold truth….
“Today, Jonathan is President of the Federal Republic by virtue of an arrangement that zones the top post to the north of Nigeria for two terms totalling eight years. The North should therefore have another term. I do not subscribe to the arrangement and so, were I in government, it won’t be binding on me. And indeed, if I have my way, it should never have been put in place at all. But it is in place in spite of ex-President Obasanjo’s latter day less-than-honest assertion to the contrary. And Jonathan subscribed to it. He came to office by it, and he is not on record, to my knowledge, as having ever disagreed with the arrangement. So, he is bound by it. He is a Christian and the Bible says that true Christians swear to their own hurt and do not renege! (See Psalm 15:4). .
Flowing from this, and most important of all, is this truth: there are simply no righteous ways by which Dr Jonathan can pick up his party’s ticket to run in 2011! To run, he has to play “realpolitik”, which is politics devoid of moral and ethical considerations; politics without conscience. He has to pull down the party structure, hound his opponents, tear the rule books and generally be ruthless. Recent events are already pointing in this direction… “
Since those words were written, Vincent Ogbulafor has been removed as Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party; Okwesilieze Nwodo has stepped in and his hurry to bury the party’s zoning formula has left nobody in doubt he was playing out a script; the party is in disarray in spite of all pretences to the contrary; the order of elections reportedly was negotiated to neutralise certain forces etc.
Now, Mr President, even if I am wrong; what if the prophet is right?
Sunday, 15 August 2010
OPEN LETTER TO CAN PRESIDENT ORITSEJAFOR (5)
Mr President, earlier in this letter, I quoted extensively from a serial written about three years ago making a number of suggestions for the then Onaiyekan-led executive of the association you head today. I shall proceed in this concluding paragraphs to quote a bit more from that serial which, incidentally, can be read in full at http://thegreatcompany.blogsopt.com or made available on request. Thereafter I shall draw your attention to what I consider wonderful new developments from elsewhere worthy of consideration for possible adaptation.
You may recall, sir, that we had made suggestions about the role of chaplains and how Churches should be interested in how they are appointed and how they perform in office. We have made a case for annual retreats for Christian politicians, the need for the establishment of structures for monitoring, liaison with and influencing of the activities of the three departments of governments at all levels, and well articulated Christian platform on issues of national interest including but not limited to a legislative agenda. We shall return to this particular issue presently.
Before that, Mr President, permit me to recall one more suggestion contained in the 2007 serial. And it is on the subject of how our brothers and sisters “find their way into office”. We wrote then:
“I believe this is a very crucial question which if examined critically should assist in addressing the character question among men and women, who in addition to whatever party flags they may fly, are also easily identified with the Christian faith. Look at it this way: a man or woman of God feels the call to serve God in the public or political arena. He tells members of his church family about it. What does he get? Apathy or outright discouragement and in many cases prayers! God answers prayers, but like James said in the Bible, faith without works is dead! A man or woman seeking election into office needs money to run his campaign. When he doesn’t get help from his brethren, he’ll try to get it from other sources. Enter the godfather, with all the consequences, as we saw in the case of Dr Chris Ngige, and his so-called estranged godfather in Anambra state, Chris Uba and; erstwhile Governor Rashidi Ladoja and (garrison commander), Lamidi Adedibu in Oyo State.
“Even where a solo financier is not involved there are usually a variety of sponsors and financiers each waiting in the wings for returns on their investments. That ties the office seeker’s hands long before they become office holders and also whittles, if not eliminate, whatever influences the church could have had upon such people. Arguably, a Christian, well grounded in the word should be able to resist evil wherever it raises its head, but it certainly does become more difficult where the righteous forsake their brothers and sisters to “find their way to office. The need to raise awareness among us about politics and governance is really pressing…”
Those were our words in 2007 and we humbly suggest that they still hold some relevance today and therefore urge you, like we did the Onaiyekan-led executive then, to give them some thought, no matter how idealistic they seem, at first glance. For, indeed, two years after our suggestions, developments outside our shores began to lend credence to the call to action.
As you most probably might have read, a number of Christian leaders in the United States widely recognised for their “public witness on behalf of justice, human rights, and the common good” came together in 2009 and subsequently came up with what has now become known as the Manhattan Declaration. Described as a “Call to Christian Conscience”, the declaration, in the words of one of its proponents, “speaks to the church just as much as it speaks to the larger culture”. Originally signed by about 150 prominent Christian clergy, ministry leaders and scholars including Nigeria ’s Most Rev Peter Akinola, and released on November 20, 2009 at a press conference in Washington , DC , its focus was on three issues that the enemy is using powerfully to destroy the Christian heritage of that country.
In the main, the signatories affirm in the 4700-word declaration: “The profound, inherent, and equal dignity of every human being as a creature fashioned in the very image of God, possessing inherent rights of equal dignity and life; Marriage as a conjugal union of man and woman, ordained by God from the creation, and historically understood by believers and non-believers alike, to be the most basic institution in society and; Religious liberty, which is grounded in the character of God, the example of Christ, and the inherent freedom and dignity of human beings created in the divine image.”
As we write this, well over 460,000 persons have signed on to the declaration. But that is not the story. The big deal is that it caught the eyes Christians in the United Kingdom , made so great an impression on them, that on the eve of the last General Elections, they launched the Westminster Declaration of Christian Conscience 2010. A former Archbishop Canterbury, Lord carey, was among 30 senior Christian Leaders, who signed and launched the declaration last Easter Sunday (April 4, 2010).
Both in timing and content, it was widely seen as the Christian Manifesto for the election; deftly designed to send a clear message to all parliamentary candidates that Christians will be supporting only those whose politics do not conflict with Christian beliefs and interfere with their right to live according to those beliefs. Towards this end, the declaration articulated those range of policies around which churches in the UK are united, including support for marriage, opposition to assisted suicide and euthanasia, support for the rights of children born and unborn, and support for all those who are sick, disabled, addicted, elderly, poor, exploited, trafficked or exploited by unjust trade, aid or debt. In other words Christians were being galvanised not to vote for candidates whose previous records or current platforms conflict with these minimum.
Mr President, it is my view that CAN, under your leadership, ought to spearhead a Nigerian Christian Charter along these lines, articulating the Christian standpoint on issues such as corruption, violation of voters’ rights through election rigging, freedom of worship and etc with a view to guiding our brethren in the choice of political party to join and candidates to vote for. Thanks for your time, sir. (CONCLUDED)
You may recall, sir, that we had made suggestions about the role of chaplains and how Churches should be interested in how they are appointed and how they perform in office. We have made a case for annual retreats for Christian politicians, the need for the establishment of structures for monitoring, liaison with and influencing of the activities of the three departments of governments at all levels, and well articulated Christian platform on issues of national interest including but not limited to a legislative agenda. We shall return to this particular issue presently.
Before that, Mr President, permit me to recall one more suggestion contained in the 2007 serial. And it is on the subject of how our brothers and sisters “find their way into office”. We wrote then:
“I believe this is a very crucial question which if examined critically should assist in addressing the character question among men and women, who in addition to whatever party flags they may fly, are also easily identified with the Christian faith. Look at it this way: a man or woman of God feels the call to serve God in the public or political arena. He tells members of his church family about it. What does he get? Apathy or outright discouragement and in many cases prayers! God answers prayers, but like James said in the Bible, faith without works is dead! A man or woman seeking election into office needs money to run his campaign. When he doesn’t get help from his brethren, he’ll try to get it from other sources. Enter the godfather, with all the consequences, as we saw in the case of Dr Chris Ngige, and his so-called estranged godfather in Anambra state, Chris Uba and; erstwhile Governor Rashidi Ladoja and (garrison commander), Lamidi Adedibu in Oyo State.
“Even where a solo financier is not involved there are usually a variety of sponsors and financiers each waiting in the wings for returns on their investments. That ties the office seeker’s hands long before they become office holders and also whittles, if not eliminate, whatever influences the church could have had upon such people. Arguably, a Christian, well grounded in the word should be able to resist evil wherever it raises its head, but it certainly does become more difficult where the righteous forsake their brothers and sisters to “find their way to office. The need to raise awareness among us about politics and governance is really pressing…”
Those were our words in 2007 and we humbly suggest that they still hold some relevance today and therefore urge you, like we did the Onaiyekan-led executive then, to give them some thought, no matter how idealistic they seem, at first glance. For, indeed, two years after our suggestions, developments outside our shores began to lend credence to the call to action.
As you most probably might have read, a number of Christian leaders in the United States widely recognised for their “public witness on behalf of justice, human rights, and the common good” came together in 2009 and subsequently came up with what has now become known as the Manhattan Declaration. Described as a “Call to Christian Conscience”, the declaration, in the words of one of its proponents, “speaks to the church just as much as it speaks to the larger culture”. Originally signed by about 150 prominent Christian clergy, ministry leaders and scholars including Nigeria ’s Most Rev Peter Akinola, and released on November 20, 2009 at a press conference in Washington , DC , its focus was on three issues that the enemy is using powerfully to destroy the Christian heritage of that country.
In the main, the signatories affirm in the 4700-word declaration: “The profound, inherent, and equal dignity of every human being as a creature fashioned in the very image of God, possessing inherent rights of equal dignity and life; Marriage as a conjugal union of man and woman, ordained by God from the creation, and historically understood by believers and non-believers alike, to be the most basic institution in society and; Religious liberty, which is grounded in the character of God, the example of Christ, and the inherent freedom and dignity of human beings created in the divine image.”
As we write this, well over 460,000 persons have signed on to the declaration. But that is not the story. The big deal is that it caught the eyes Christians in the United Kingdom , made so great an impression on them, that on the eve of the last General Elections, they launched the Westminster Declaration of Christian Conscience 2010. A former Archbishop Canterbury, Lord carey, was among 30 senior Christian Leaders, who signed and launched the declaration last Easter Sunday (April 4, 2010).
Both in timing and content, it was widely seen as the Christian Manifesto for the election; deftly designed to send a clear message to all parliamentary candidates that Christians will be supporting only those whose politics do not conflict with Christian beliefs and interfere with their right to live according to those beliefs. Towards this end, the declaration articulated those range of policies around which churches in the UK are united, including support for marriage, opposition to assisted suicide and euthanasia, support for the rights of children born and unborn, and support for all those who are sick, disabled, addicted, elderly, poor, exploited, trafficked or exploited by unjust trade, aid or debt. In other words Christians were being galvanised not to vote for candidates whose previous records or current platforms conflict with these minimum.
Mr President, it is my view that CAN, under your leadership, ought to spearhead a Nigerian Christian Charter along these lines, articulating the Christian standpoint on issues such as corruption, violation of voters’ rights through election rigging, freedom of worship and etc with a view to guiding our brethren in the choice of political party to join and candidates to vote for. Thanks for your time, sir. (CONCLUDED)
Sunday, 8 August 2010
OPEN LETTER TO CAN PRESIDENT ORITSEJAFOR (4)
As I pointed out in the last letter, Mr President, this column has, since inception a few years back, devoted several articles to the subject of the place of the church in the socio-political and economic development of our nation. You characterised this in the biblically apt phase, “being salt and light” to the nation and declared that under your leadership “the church will be more active”. This was why we excitedly offered to present to you some of the suggestions we have made in the past.
As a backgrounder, sir, you may want to know that the serial we are about to quote extensively from was written and published between July 29 and August 19, 2007 against the backdrop of the just beginning trial of ex-Governors who had then just lost their immunity. We had noted then that more Christians were involved in the disgraceful drama than adherents of other faiths. Compared to members of other faiths our interim “ex-Governors-in-Post-Immunity Trial” statistical report then looked like this: Convictions 100%; Arraignments - 80%; Overall - 83.34%...”
Now, Mr President, please read this excerpt from “A Wake-Up Call to Church Leaders(2)”, first published on August 5, 2007:
“…I believe that there is an urgent need for Christian leaders through the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to seize the opportunity offered by the current nadir into which the moral high ground of the faith has plunged - courtesy of some of these so-called Christians in positions of authority - to rethink our approach to governance in our nation. I believe with all my heart that the situation should be seen as beyond a call to prayer, which is understandably our default setting, as it were. I believe it should be recognised also as a call to prayerfully put structures in place to deliberately begin to engage with the “political class” in the area of godliness, ethics and the common good; keep an eagle eye upon those who get into government proclaiming their love for the Lord Jesus; and continuously and directly engage with government at all levels to ensure that godliness is an overriding factor in policy formulation, direction and implementation.
“Permit me to articulate this a little. Let’s work from the known to the seemingly unknown. Let’s take the case of governors for example. Every Christian governor hopefully has a chapel around Government House manned by a chaplain, who I reckon must have a sort of ringside ticket to what happens in government. When a chaplain begins to catch a whiff of the filthy smell of lucre or the not-so-uncommon recourse to sexual wantonness, what does he do? Does he simply look the other way because he does not want to hurt the boss or; protect his access to comfortable living by steering clear of ministering to the boss on such subjects? Which leads me to the question: how are chaplains recruited? Do they get any kind of protection from the part of the Church family they come from? Where they try and fail to rein in a governor’s propensity to deviate from the Christian path, are they encouraged to alert the church family group so that a kind of early warning system can be put in place? In my view CAN have to consider working along this line.
“The church’s engagement with the political class, that is, those who are currently actively involved in politics can also be structured. It is my view, for instance, that CAN ought to hold annual retreats for Christian politicians where they all have the opportunity to listen to word-based evaluation of governance; exchange views on anti-Christian pressures and satanic influences and together agree to prayerfully resist those things. For ease of management, it can hold at state level.
“I am also fully persuaded that CAN should consider establishing structures for monitoring, liaison with and influencing of the activities of the three departments of governments at all levels. By this I wonder if it were possible to appoint a legislative liaison and monitoring group. Such a group may be armed with a Christian legislative agenda and a check-list of the attributes of just laws. With a legislative agenda of say, three laws that Nigeria Christians would love to see passed in a particular legislative year, this group can liaise with Christian legislators and even powerful non-Christians where necessary. With a well thought-out legislative checklist Christian members can be guided to oppose or support or propose amendments to bills. Through proper monitoring of speeches on the floor and voting patterns, it should be possible to identify those who consistently step out of line and work against them at election time. Such a structure, while not exactly appropriate for the judiciary, should also be considered for the Executive Arm too, while something else is worked for the judiciary.
“All of these bring me to the issue of platform; that is a consistent Christian position on issues of affecting the lives; lifestyle and faith walk of the Nigerian Christian, most of which would have universal application to the Nigerian. For instance there is talk in the air of electoral reform. Is it possible to have a Christian platform? What about the constitution? Is it absolutely impossible to have a position on this? For the avoidance of any doubts, this is not to promote sectarian differences in Nigeria ; it is very simply to lift the underlying values, the fundamentals of governance in Nigeria . Where to start? I am aware that the Catholic Church in Nigeria has the very vibrant Justice and Peace Commission, the PFN, has the Social Security Outreach, the other groups sure have equivalent departments or outreaches. These outfits may be used to begin exploratory talks.
“The new CAN leadership led by Archbishop Onaiyekan, should in the name of Lord, pray about these things before throwing these suggestions out as idealistic, unworkable or inappropriate. Of course, there is the unity question amongst us too! As a kind of Church Unity activist, I know how real this is and how debilitating to the body. But it should not stop us. The fact of sitting together towards formulating and creating the structures will help in the bonding process. Yes the current disunity does recommend caution, so we may need to start small, but start we must.”
A few more suggestions follow in the concluding part of this letter, next. Thanks again, for your time, Mr President. (CONCLUDES NEXT WEEK)
As a backgrounder, sir, you may want to know that the serial we are about to quote extensively from was written and published between July 29 and August 19, 2007 against the backdrop of the just beginning trial of ex-Governors who had then just lost their immunity. We had noted then that more Christians were involved in the disgraceful drama than adherents of other faiths. Compared to members of other faiths our interim “ex-Governors-in-Post-Immunity Trial” statistical report then looked like this: Convictions 100%; Arraignments - 80%; Overall - 83.34%...”
Now, Mr President, please read this excerpt from “A Wake-Up Call to Church Leaders(2)”, first published on August 5, 2007:
“…I believe that there is an urgent need for Christian leaders through the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to seize the opportunity offered by the current nadir into which the moral high ground of the faith has plunged - courtesy of some of these so-called Christians in positions of authority - to rethink our approach to governance in our nation. I believe with all my heart that the situation should be seen as beyond a call to prayer, which is understandably our default setting, as it were. I believe it should be recognised also as a call to prayerfully put structures in place to deliberately begin to engage with the “political class” in the area of godliness, ethics and the common good; keep an eagle eye upon those who get into government proclaiming their love for the Lord Jesus; and continuously and directly engage with government at all levels to ensure that godliness is an overriding factor in policy formulation, direction and implementation.
“Permit me to articulate this a little. Let’s work from the known to the seemingly unknown. Let’s take the case of governors for example. Every Christian governor hopefully has a chapel around Government House manned by a chaplain, who I reckon must have a sort of ringside ticket to what happens in government. When a chaplain begins to catch a whiff of the filthy smell of lucre or the not-so-uncommon recourse to sexual wantonness, what does he do? Does he simply look the other way because he does not want to hurt the boss or; protect his access to comfortable living by steering clear of ministering to the boss on such subjects? Which leads me to the question: how are chaplains recruited? Do they get any kind of protection from the part of the Church family they come from? Where they try and fail to rein in a governor’s propensity to deviate from the Christian path, are they encouraged to alert the church family group so that a kind of early warning system can be put in place? In my view CAN have to consider working along this line.
“The church’s engagement with the political class, that is, those who are currently actively involved in politics can also be structured. It is my view, for instance, that CAN ought to hold annual retreats for Christian politicians where they all have the opportunity to listen to word-based evaluation of governance; exchange views on anti-Christian pressures and satanic influences and together agree to prayerfully resist those things. For ease of management, it can hold at state level.
“I am also fully persuaded that CAN should consider establishing structures for monitoring, liaison with and influencing of the activities of the three departments of governments at all levels. By this I wonder if it were possible to appoint a legislative liaison and monitoring group. Such a group may be armed with a Christian legislative agenda and a check-list of the attributes of just laws. With a legislative agenda of say, three laws that Nigeria Christians would love to see passed in a particular legislative year, this group can liaise with Christian legislators and even powerful non-Christians where necessary. With a well thought-out legislative checklist Christian members can be guided to oppose or support or propose amendments to bills. Through proper monitoring of speeches on the floor and voting patterns, it should be possible to identify those who consistently step out of line and work against them at election time. Such a structure, while not exactly appropriate for the judiciary, should also be considered for the Executive Arm too, while something else is worked for the judiciary.
“All of these bring me to the issue of platform; that is a consistent Christian position on issues of affecting the lives; lifestyle and faith walk of the Nigerian Christian, most of which would have universal application to the Nigerian. For instance there is talk in the air of electoral reform. Is it possible to have a Christian platform? What about the constitution? Is it absolutely impossible to have a position on this? For the avoidance of any doubts, this is not to promote sectarian differences in Nigeria ; it is very simply to lift the underlying values, the fundamentals of governance in Nigeria . Where to start? I am aware that the Catholic Church in Nigeria has the very vibrant Justice and Peace Commission, the PFN, has the Social Security Outreach, the other groups sure have equivalent departments or outreaches. These outfits may be used to begin exploratory talks.
“The new CAN leadership led by Archbishop Onaiyekan, should in the name of Lord, pray about these things before throwing these suggestions out as idealistic, unworkable or inappropriate. Of course, there is the unity question amongst us too! As a kind of Church Unity activist, I know how real this is and how debilitating to the body. But it should not stop us. The fact of sitting together towards formulating and creating the structures will help in the bonding process. Yes the current disunity does recommend caution, so we may need to start small, but start we must.”
A few more suggestions follow in the concluding part of this letter, next. Thanks again, for your time, Mr President. (CONCLUDES NEXT WEEK)
Sunday, 1 August 2010
OPEN LETTER TO CAN PRESIDENT ORITSEJAFOR (3)
As I was saying, Mr President, the challenge of uniting the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ will call for deliberate action on the part of the new executive under your leadership. We trust that , with the Holy Spirit as your guide, you are up to the task.
On the religious crisis in the North, very little can be added to what you told Segun Otokiti who quoted you in his Nigerian Compass article as follows:
“The second thing is the religious crisis that continues in the North. It is another concern for our administration to look into. I’m very concerned about this and I also strongly believe that we can do something about it. I believe we will find new ways and more ways to dialogue with our brothers on the other side of the religion divide. God will show us more ways and we will dialogue better with them. For example, we see the Nigerian Inter-Religious Council (NIREC), which is the coming together of both religions, as fantastic but I think at the grassroots, there are many of the people who are not educated, they don’t even know what is going on, and they don’t fully understand the fact that there is no religion that preaches violence. So, leaders of both religions must not always come together in big cities, they must begin to go into villages, they must go into mosques in the villages, into churches in the villages and be able to reach out to the people and begin to tell them what the truth is. And then, they must also begin to seriously find ways to influence the very local imams and pastors in the rural areas. And if that is done and done constantly and properly, you will discover that the senior wicked people who caused all these troubles, when they go to grassroots to get those they will use to cause crisis again, they wouldn’t find them because the understanding would have filtered down to those people. I think we need to work more and there are many other thing we must do to make sure that peace comes to stay and also begin to get government to play its part as well.”
I wish however to invite you to deal with the perception that some stakeholders have of you as a hawk. Many have expressed their worry obliquely, but Adamu Adamu, in a piece titled, “CAN and the Book of John,” which you might have read, was very direct. He wrote in the conclusion to his beautiful piece on Onaiyekan and I quote: “Surely, if healing the Christian-Muslim rift is the one of more important items on the agenda of a CAN president—and if it is not, it should be—then Archbishop Onaiyekan is arguably the most successful president of the Christian body. Without the understanding, respect and dialogue pioneered by Onaiyekan, which must be reciprocated, it is to be feared that someone removed from the scene of the crisis and informed only by media reports that are sometimes part of the problem may lead us into a whirl pool of religious disaster. That is why today the challenge on the shoulders of Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, president of the Pentecostal Federation of Nigeria and the new CAN president, is a heavy one, indeed, especially in view of the fact that at times of crises in the past, some of the most unhelpful comments have issued from Pentecostal pulpits, unfortunately, including his own. While wishing Pastor Oritsejafor every success, it is to be hoped that he will take a leaf out of the Book of John Onaiyekan.”
Without losing sight of the irony that the leader those outside the Lord’s flock consider as “arguably the most successful president of the Christian body,” didn’t seem to have made a similar impression within, and was therefore not re-elected, you still have to deal with this perception. Perception, after all is said to be reality; at least to the perceiver. That’s a tight rope given that you cannot also afford to disappoint those who elected you. It is our prayer that God’s grace shall be sufficient for you.
The third item on your agenda is also very, very crucial. As a matter of fact, for someone involved in men’s ministry, like I have had the privilege of being, it seems to me as the issue besides which everyone else pales into insignificance. And I really love the way you put it: being “light and salt of the earth.” Listen with me, to yourself, Mr President: “Then, the third thing is to be light and salt of the earth. And to do that, the church must impact and make input into Nigeria. We must begin to get our Christian brothers and sisters who hold high offices accountable for money that passes through their hands, accountable for wherever God has put them, and they must be held accountable to the people they lead. We must enforce it, we must press for it, we must make sure that it happens and we must begin to teach them that they are accountable for such things. We also need to encourage Christians to get into politics and play their part in any way we think we can be of help to government in moving the country forward in the project of Nigeria. I think the church will be more active and play our part more actively. In addition, Nigerians need to enjoy more of the dividends of democracy and journalists are in the position to influence things more positively and we hope they do that well.”
This column has since inception a few years back devoted several articles to this subject. We have drawn attention to the sad truth that more Christian leaders have fallen foul of basic moral standards in public office than adherents of other faiths. We have made many suggestions that could form basic ingredients for action – to no effect. This declared intention that “the church will be more active” in this respect, offers an opportunity to ventilate those ideas again and we will – next in this letter. Thanks for your time, Mr President. (CONTINUES)
On the religious crisis in the North, very little can be added to what you told Segun Otokiti who quoted you in his Nigerian Compass article as follows:
“The second thing is the religious crisis that continues in the North. It is another concern for our administration to look into. I’m very concerned about this and I also strongly believe that we can do something about it. I believe we will find new ways and more ways to dialogue with our brothers on the other side of the religion divide. God will show us more ways and we will dialogue better with them. For example, we see the Nigerian Inter-Religious Council (NIREC), which is the coming together of both religions, as fantastic but I think at the grassroots, there are many of the people who are not educated, they don’t even know what is going on, and they don’t fully understand the fact that there is no religion that preaches violence. So, leaders of both religions must not always come together in big cities, they must begin to go into villages, they must go into mosques in the villages, into churches in the villages and be able to reach out to the people and begin to tell them what the truth is. And then, they must also begin to seriously find ways to influence the very local imams and pastors in the rural areas. And if that is done and done constantly and properly, you will discover that the senior wicked people who caused all these troubles, when they go to grassroots to get those they will use to cause crisis again, they wouldn’t find them because the understanding would have filtered down to those people. I think we need to work more and there are many other thing we must do to make sure that peace comes to stay and also begin to get government to play its part as well.”
I wish however to invite you to deal with the perception that some stakeholders have of you as a hawk. Many have expressed their worry obliquely, but Adamu Adamu, in a piece titled, “CAN and the Book of John,” which you might have read, was very direct. He wrote in the conclusion to his beautiful piece on Onaiyekan and I quote: “Surely, if healing the Christian-Muslim rift is the one of more important items on the agenda of a CAN president—and if it is not, it should be—then Archbishop Onaiyekan is arguably the most successful president of the Christian body. Without the understanding, respect and dialogue pioneered by Onaiyekan, which must be reciprocated, it is to be feared that someone removed from the scene of the crisis and informed only by media reports that are sometimes part of the problem may lead us into a whirl pool of religious disaster. That is why today the challenge on the shoulders of Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, president of the Pentecostal Federation of Nigeria and the new CAN president, is a heavy one, indeed, especially in view of the fact that at times of crises in the past, some of the most unhelpful comments have issued from Pentecostal pulpits, unfortunately, including his own. While wishing Pastor Oritsejafor every success, it is to be hoped that he will take a leaf out of the Book of John Onaiyekan.”
Without losing sight of the irony that the leader those outside the Lord’s flock consider as “arguably the most successful president of the Christian body,” didn’t seem to have made a similar impression within, and was therefore not re-elected, you still have to deal with this perception. Perception, after all is said to be reality; at least to the perceiver. That’s a tight rope given that you cannot also afford to disappoint those who elected you. It is our prayer that God’s grace shall be sufficient for you.
The third item on your agenda is also very, very crucial. As a matter of fact, for someone involved in men’s ministry, like I have had the privilege of being, it seems to me as the issue besides which everyone else pales into insignificance. And I really love the way you put it: being “light and salt of the earth.” Listen with me, to yourself, Mr President: “Then, the third thing is to be light and salt of the earth. And to do that, the church must impact and make input into Nigeria. We must begin to get our Christian brothers and sisters who hold high offices accountable for money that passes through their hands, accountable for wherever God has put them, and they must be held accountable to the people they lead. We must enforce it, we must press for it, we must make sure that it happens and we must begin to teach them that they are accountable for such things. We also need to encourage Christians to get into politics and play their part in any way we think we can be of help to government in moving the country forward in the project of Nigeria. I think the church will be more active and play our part more actively. In addition, Nigerians need to enjoy more of the dividends of democracy and journalists are in the position to influence things more positively and we hope they do that well.”
This column has since inception a few years back devoted several articles to this subject. We have drawn attention to the sad truth that more Christian leaders have fallen foul of basic moral standards in public office than adherents of other faiths. We have made many suggestions that could form basic ingredients for action – to no effect. This declared intention that “the church will be more active” in this respect, offers an opportunity to ventilate those ideas again and we will – next in this letter. Thanks for your time, Mr President. (CONTINUES)
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